YELLOWSTONE'S WILD WORLD

Last weekend I went down to Grand Teton National Park in hopes of capturing some of the stunning colors of the aspen trees against the majestic backdrop of the Teton mountain range.

When I arrived Friday afternoon some clouds were beginning to build up against the blue sky and though the mountains looked beautiful, the light was awful.  So, I made plans for some sunset photography, thinking that the color would be amazing in those clouds.

And, of course, I had to take a few shots, just in case those mountains disappeared in the rain that Judy had promised was coming this way.

Sunset color at Schwabachers was a bust, which was very disappointing.  A number of photographers were lined up along the bank, each one hoping to press the shutter when the moment arrived.  But, not even an ounce of color.  I heard one woman, in a photography class, ask if 1600 iso was okay and the instructor tell her whatever she wanted.  I cringed.  And then he went on to explain that if she wanted to capture the fish jumping it would be a good speed.  Makes me think that maybe I should begin doing photo workshops.

While we were standing there we heard some cracking in the forest that was obviously coming from a large animal.  The woman with the 1600 iso and a whole lot of enthusiasm to keep her going, was the first to see a moose, barely visible in the trees.  Unfortunately the moose did not come out to see us but it would have been nice to do some silhouettes in the water.

I left and went to Dornans for a salad and to get a little computer work done, which is when I noticed that my plug converter for the computer had not made the trip.  And so I ate slow and worked fast, though not getting much done.  It had been a good day – a few landscapes and some bears – not great shots but I truly enjoyed myself while photographing them because everything was calm and friendly.  It felt as though I had not been allowed to take a photo of wildlife in many months and so the images were not as important as the peace that I felt.

The rain began during the night and the world was drab and drenched in the morning.  Except for an eerie glow at first light that made its way under the clouds.  That was the only light I saw during my stay because the rain never stopped, except for just a few minutes.  And, so, I decided to make the most of my time in the Tetons and stretch my photography by looking for my own things to photograph.  No crowds, just me.  Capturing the color that remained was my goal and I got lucky a few times.  Some just so so and some to look at forever.

Look, all of those images and not one animal!  I did it!  LOL  My rainy trip to the Tetons was a super blessing and I would not have traded it for anything.